Braking distance of a vehicle is defined as the distance travelled by a vehicle after applying the brakes, until the vehicle is stationary. Each vehicle travels a specific braking distance before halting completely, and this distance depends on many factors, including the vehicle's braking system, the quality of the vehicle's tires, the size and the type of the vehicle, and the adhesion between the tires and the road surface. In many regions around the globe, including North America and Europe, the braking distance of a vehicle gains significant media attention. Automobile manufacturers have been continuously endeavoring to reduce the braking distance for the vehicles they manufacture, through different methods. Successful attempts in this respect are continuously published by the media.
For vehicles equipped with an anti-lock braking system (ABS), one possible way of reducing the braking distance is careful and selective tuning of the ABS. Those in the art understand that conventional ABS prevents wheel lock during braking, and substantially reduces the stopping distance on many road surfaces. A typical ABS in a vehicle is activated when the brake pressure requested by the vehicle's driver exceeds the brake pressure which results in 100% adhesion utilization. However, in case of slippery low friction surfaces, the ABS needs to be more finely modulated, to finely tune the brake pressure, and reduce it to a level where the wheels can still rotate on the surface.
Considering the aforementioned problems, a need exists for a system and method that can reduce the braking distance for a vehicle equipped with a hydraulic braking system.